Discussion

Zanzibar—Bwejuu and Stone Town—report (long)

To have some down-time after the Rwanda sojourn, I spent a week on the island of Zanzibar. I was really excited to check out the island’s cuisine with the obvious seafood combined with the African, European, Arabic, and Asian (Indian) influences. The meals were ok to delicious; unfortunately, like I experienced in Rwanda, the seafood, with some nice pieces of fish, were often over-cooked. And like Rwanda, sometimes the food took 2 hours to come out. Most meals were about $6-8USD, aside from the splurge at the roof top resto at 236 Hurumzi. When I went $1USD = 1500 TSh (Tanzanian shillings). I wish I’d brought back some of the famous spiced coffee, although I think I can add some cardamom pods to my cuppa joe at home.

About a 45 minute drive from the capital Stone Town, Bwejuu is on the east coast of the island and definitely quiet, even during the summer high season. I think more people stayed at nearby Paje. I chose to stay at Upepo based on the reviews about its owner / chef. Of course, when I arrive, I find out he’s spending 5 months in Canada. Anyway, the staff was so friendly and helpful. I got hooked on the chapattis and always ordered them as a side. Loved the garlic sauce with the prawns. Enjoyed the coconut crab on spaghetti. And disappointed the kingfish masala was a bit bland and the sauce dominated the fish.

First time had lunch here in this Dutch-managed place. Nicely decorated. The tuna steak was a bit dry, but I liked the coconut rice. On another afternoon, I had some cocktails including a punch and another concoction with vodka, lime, and honey.

Rashid, the owner and sometimes cook, is very friendly. I went here for lunch a couple of times. Food came out relatively quicker than other places. Really liked the spicy coconut crab / shrimp with coconut rice. The modest resto is on the 2nd floor with a stunning view of the clear turquoise waters.

Rashid recommended this cheap, busy place. Went here for a couple of lunches. Filled with locals. First time I had this chicken stew / dish. Don’t recall the name of aside from its beginning with a “u”. I remember the sauce had cashews. The chicken was boiled and came with a dumpling. I added some chilli sauce for some kick. The next day I had the chicken pilau, which I liked better. The biryani also looked good.

Awesome views of the sunset from this lively place. The seafood offerings represented the bounty from the local waters—tuna, kingfish, barracuda, shark, marlin, octopus, crab, lobster, shrimps, and so on. The skewers ranged in price up to $5. But everything looks to have been cooked already and the vendor simply heated things up. I got caught up taking photos that I didn’t notice how and where the vendor heated up my (dry) tuna skewer.

The “Zanzibar pizza” looked promising; I liked how the vendor described it as “Zanzibar okonomiyaki”. It was a filled chapatti with my chosen kingfish, chopped veggies, cheese (la vache qui rit), and egg cooked on a griddle. I had to ask for some hot sauce for more flavour.

My fave at the gardens was the refreshing sugar cane – ginger drink. It was fun to see how it was made with the special machine.